More Than 8.6 Million Online in Brazil

According to Media Metrix, 8,650,000 people in Brazil used the Internet during August and portals were among their favorite online destinations.

One-quarter of Brazilians own computers, according to Media Metrix, and 75 percent of them are connected to the Internet. Among the top 25 sites in Brazil, the majority are portals, including popular names like AOL, AltaVista, and Yahoo; six of the top 25 are Web services, such as ICQ, Real.com, and Passport. Other sites in the top 25 include search/navigation sites and government sites.

Other findings from Media Metrix first examination of the Brazilian market include:

• Among PC owners in Brazil, nearly 90 percent own one PC per household, 9.1 percent own two PCs, less than 1 percent own more than two PCs. 23 percent of Brazilians intend to buy a PC in the next six months, 68.8 percent of those who intend to buy a PC also intend to connect to the Internet.
• There are more men than women online in Brazil, but the gap is relatively narrow: 56.7 percent male; 43.3 percent female.
• More than 45 percent of Internet users in Brazil have children
• 55 percent of the Internet users in Brazil went online for the first time within the past two years